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Leaf Rumours

The problem with starting new leagues is arenas. Make it an outdoor sport with phenomenal outdoor heating(free energy via geothermal) with four on four, and you destroy the NHL. Which of course would please me to no end.
 
habs25th said:
MLSE needs the NHL more than the other way around.
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Which is not to say that the NHL doesn't need the Leafs.

The cap would drop a solid 10 million dollars the year after the Leafs left...there are really only 8-10 teams turning a solid profit, and the Leafs lead the pack by a fair bit.
 
The Atlanta Thrashers are trying their best to lock up franchise player Ilya Kovalchuk to a long-term contract, and the saga took another turn on Monday as general manager Don Waddell said contract negotiations between both sides have hit a "snag."

"Our position is different than his position right now," Waddell explained to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Their position is fixed years with money and we have a different side of that.

"That's what we have to work through. We've gotten through every thing else, now we have to make it through that."

Waddell said he remained optimistic that a new deal would get done and added that talks would resume after the holidays.

According to the Journal-Constitution, Kovalchuk's agent Jay Grossman met with Waddell in Atlanta over the weekend to continue talks. Kovalchuk is scheduled to become a free agent on July 1.

Should the two sides fail to come to terms on a new deal, Waddell could be tempted to trade Kovalchuk in the same manner that he did with pending free agent Marian Hossa two seasons ago.

"It's a business," Kovalchuk told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I think every player goes through that. It's the first time for me. It's (management's) decision, but I like everything here. Like I've said a lot of times, I want to play with one team all my life, but you never know."

Kovalchuk, drafted first overall by Atlanta in 2001, is the team's all-time leader in goals, assists and points.
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http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=303293
 
So basically, Waddell wants to sign him to one of these goofy new contracts with massively varying salaries over it's life, and Kovy wants it's value to be the same annually instead?
 
I hope we dont break our prospect pool in trading for him if we go that route.

Best case is that Waddell doesnt trade him and doesnt get to sign him either - which means its free for all next July and I like the leafs' chances on that.
 
He won't get more money out of anyone else...nobody has max capspace to throw at him.

Atlanta may just be desperate enough to make him the highest paid player in the league, and I don't think anyone else would be able to do that.
 
leafman101 said:
I just don't see him resigning there. He'll get way more money elsewhere. And Atlanta sucks.
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Atlanta's acutally good some serious (and potentially elite) young talent at every position. If his main priorities are money / exposure Atlanta might not be right for him, but that team is on the right track from an on ice perspective.
 
ForeverTML said:
I hope we dont break our prospect pool in trading for him if we go that route.

Best case is that Waddell doesnt trade him and doesnt get to sign him either - which means its free for all next July and I like the leafs' chances on that.
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I wouldn't trade for him unless we were talking about a package similar to what Hossa landed....and even then, I'm concerned what his contract demands would be like. I couldn't see Atlanta waffling much if he was talking about a 8-10 yr deal at 7-8 million dollars per.

I said it last year and I'll say it again, I think this guy wants the spotlight, and Atlanta isn't the place to get it. I'd be surprised if he didn't test free agency.
 
Kovalchuk isn't coming to Toronto, get over it before it never happens. I saw an interview with Kovalchuk and he said himself he's not looking for a big hockey market, he likes the low key life he has in Atlanta.
 
I'd give him 10 yrs / 90-100 mill without thinking twice.

He's a sick sick player. We're talking about a 26 year old, who is very durable and who will challenge for 50 goals a season for at least the next 10 years.

I don't mind overpaying for that.
 
MindzEye said:
He won't get more money out of anyone else...nobody has max capspace to throw at him.

Atlanta may just be desperate enough to make him the highest paid player in the league, and I don't think anyone else would be able to do that.
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Well based on these quotes from Waddel, they don't have any interest in such a thing.

The cap never stopped big spending teams from spending before.
 
He'd be the best UFA ever.

A 26 year old top 5 offensive player, and top 2 goal scorer? Thats never been seen on the open market. All 30 teams would be in on that.
 
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